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Updated with current federal pay tables and reference data

Archive year. This is the 2022 GS-11 pay scale. Current year: 2026 GS-11.
$56,983 GS-11 Step 1 base salary (2022)
$74,074 GS-11 Step 10 base salary (2022)
O-4 Major Approximate military equivalent

2022 GS-11 base salary, all 10 steps

This is the nationwide base GS-11 salary schedule for 2022, before any locality adjustment. It shows annual salary, biweekly pay and hourly rate for every step.

Step Annual salary Biweekly pay Hourly rate Notes
Step 1 $56,983 $2,191.65 $27.30 -
Step 2 $58,882 $2,264.69 $28.21 -
Step 3 $60,781 $2,337.73 $29.12 -
Step 4 $62,680 $2,410.77 $30.03 -
Step 5 $64,579 $2,483.81 $30.94 -
Step 6 $66,478 $2,556.85 $31.85 -
Step 7 $68,377 $2,629.88 $32.76 -
Step 8 $70,276 $2,702.92 $33.67 -
Step 9 $72,175 $2,775.96 $34.58 -
Step 10 $74,074 $2,849.00 $35.49 -
← GS-10 Calculate GS-11 pay GS-12 →

Who is a GS-11?

Typical role. Full performance for most professional careers: budget analysts, program managers, engineers, IT specialists and criminal investigators.

Minimum qualifications. A PhD or equivalent doctoral degree, or one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level.

Career progression. Typical career ladder peak for entry-level hires; competitive promotion to GS-12 requires vacancy and supervisory selection.

Step-increase waiting periods

Within-grade step increases happen automatically as long as your performance is acceptable.

  • Step 1 → Step 2 52 weeks
  • Step 2 → Step 3 52 weeks
  • Step 3 → Step 4 52 weeks
  • Step 4 → Step 5 104 weeks
  • Step 5 → Step 6 104 weeks
  • Step 6 → Step 7 104 weeks
  • Step 7 → Step 8 156 weeks
  • Step 8 → Step 9 156 weeks
  • Step 9 → Step 10 156 weeks

GS-11 locality-adjusted salary for every pay area

Most federal employees receive locality pay on top of their base salary. The table below shows GS-11 Step 1 and Step 10 for every OPM locality pay area in 2022, sorted from highest to lowest adjustment.

Locality pay area Adjustment GS-11 Step 1 GS-11 Step 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland 42.74% $81,338 $105,733
New York-Newark 35.06% $76,961 $100,044
Houston-The Woodlands 33.96% $76,334 $99,230
Los Angeles-Long Beach 33.61% $76,135 $98,970
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington 31.53% $74,950 $97,430
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 30.87% $74,574 $96,941
State of Alaska 30.42% $74,317 $96,607
Hartford-East Hartford 30.20% $74,192 $96,444
Boston-Worcester-Providence 30.09% $74,129 $96,363
Chicago-Naperville 29.18% $73,611 $95,689
Seattle-Tacoma 28.28% $73,098 $95,022
Denver-Aurora 28.10% $72,995 $94,889
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor 27.86% $72,858 $94,711
Sacramento-Roseville 27.30% $72,539 $94,296
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden 26.95% $72,340 $94,037
Dallas-Fort Worth 25.68% $71,616 $93,096
Minneapolis-St. Paul 25.49% $71,508 $92,955
Portland-Vancouver-Salem 24.34% $70,853 $92,104
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale 23.80% $70,545 $91,704
Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs 22.63% $69,878 $90,837
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha 21.32% $69,132 $89,867
Cleveland-Akron-Canton 21.25% $69,092 $89,815
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville 20.94% $68,915 $89,585
Raleigh-Durham-Cary 20.94% $68,915 $89,585
Phoenix-Mesa 20.84% $68,858 $89,511
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean 20.78% $68,824 $89,467
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville 20.69% $68,773 $89,400
Richmond 20.64% $68,744 $89,363
Huntsville-Decatur 20.45% $68,636 $89,222
State of Hawaii 20.40% $68,608 $89,185
Dayton-Springfield-Kettering 19.93% $68,340 $88,837
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton 19.90% $68,323 $88,815
Laredo 19.85% $68,294 $88,778
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown 18.80% $67,696 $88,000
Albany-Schenectady 18.68% $67,627 $87,911
Colorado Springs 18.42% $67,479 $87,718
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington 18.35% $67,439 $87,667
Las Vegas-Henderson 18.25% $67,382 $87,593
Charlotte-Concord 18.06% $67,274 $87,452
Harrisburg-Lebanon 17.90% $67,183 $87,333
Tucson-Nogales 17.77% $67,109 $87,237
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City 17.67% $67,052 $87,163
Burlington-South Burlington-Barre 17.62% $67,023 $87,126
Davenport-Moline 17.58% $67,001 $87,096
San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall 17.39% $66,892 $86,955
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie 17.26% $66,818 $86,859
Virginia Beach-Norfolk 17.18% $66,773 $86,800
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas 17.14% $66,750 $86,770
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 17.01% $66,676 $86,674
Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont 16.93% $66,630 $86,615
Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice 16.82% $66,568 $86,533
Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega 16.81% $66,562 $86,526
Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines 16.52% $66,397 $86,311
Rest of U.S. 16.20% $66,214 $86,074

Top and bottom GS-11 localities in 2022

About the GS-11 pay scale

GS-11 is part of the 2022 General Schedule, the pay system used by roughly 70% of civilian white-collar federal employees. Full performance for most professional careers: budget analysts, program managers, engineers, IT specialists and criminal investigators.

How step increases work

Within-grade step increases happen automatically as long as your performance is acceptable. You move from Step 1 to Step 4 one year at a time, from Step 4 to Step 7 every two years, and from Step 7 to Step 10 every three years. Managers can award a one-time quality step increase (QSI) to accelerate progression for employees whose performance is rated outstanding.

Browse other grades in 2022

GS-11 questions for 2022

  • What is the starting salary for GS-11 in 2022?
    The base starting salary for GS-11 in 2022 is $56,983 at Step 1. With the highest locality adjustment in 2022 (San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, 42.74%), GS-11 Step 1 can reach significantly more.
  • How long does it take to reach GS-11 Step 10?
    If you never get a quality step increase, it takes roughly 18 years to move from Step 1 to Step 10. Steps 1-4 take one year each, Steps 5-7 take two years each, and Steps 8-10 take three years each. A quality step increase can shorten that timeline by one year per QSI.
  • How do I get promoted from GS-11 to GS-12?
    Promotion from GS-11 to GS-12 generally requires one year of specialized experience at the GS-11 level, and a competitive selection into a GS-12 vacancy. Open the GS-12 pay scale to see the next grade's salaries.
  • What is the military equivalent of GS-11?
    GS-11 is roughly equivalent to O-4 Major. These equivalents are approximate. The GS and military pay systems do not map one to one.